Around 30 staff at the restaurant in Milsom Place have been told this morning that it will shut its doors - but not for at least 45 days, which is the minimum consultation period set out for existing employees. Jamie Oliver's restaurants lost £9.9m last year and are finding it difficult to weather a downturn in demand.

Rumours 12 outlets of the Jamie's Italian chain were at risk, including Bristol but not Bath, were reported by The Sun earlier this month. At the time a Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group spokesman told the paper it was “exploring plans to restructure its Jamie’s Italian restaurant estate” but said no final decision had been made.

Less than three months ago the TV chef visited Jamie's Italian in Bath to meet fans and promote its Christmas menu. The restaurant has a 3.5/5 rating on TripAdvisor, placing it 159 out of 430 restaurants in Bath registered on the ratings site. In 2008 it was the second Jamie's Italian to open after Oxford.

The Bath branch of Jamie's Italian has had time called and will shut in 45 days

A statement from Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group said: "The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group has confirmed it is proposing to close 12 UK branches. It follows a strategic review to ensure the business is in good shape for the future.

"The remaining 25 sites in the UK will be unaffected by this decision and will continue to trade normally. This announcement does not affect Jamie’s Italian franchises managed through Jamie's Italian International. The Jamie Oliver Media Group and the Jamie Oliver Licensing Group, which are both managed and run separately, are also unaffected."

Group CEO Jon Knight added: “This was a not an easy decision but it's a crucial step to ensure our strong and much-loved brand can continue to serve our loyal customers.

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“We will look to redeploy as many staff as possible within the wider restaurant group. All staff impacted will be paid fully and all our obligations to them fulfilled. We’re incredibly grateful to the dedication and hard work of every single member of staff.”

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